元凶 (yuán xiōng) — chief culprit, ringleader, arch-criminal
Definition
Means the main person responsible for a crime or disaster — 'the one truly behind it.' Stronger than 凶手 (any killer): 元凶 implies the mastermind or top culprit, not just a participant.
noun
chief culpritringleaderarch-criminal
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 元凶。Jǐng fāng yǐ jīng zhuā huò le zhè qǐ àn jiàn de yuán xiōng.The police have captured the chief culprit of this case.
- ，元凶。Diào chá xiǎn shì, tā cái shì shì gù de zhēn zhèng yuán xiōng.The investigation shows that he is the real ringleader of the accident.
- 元凶。Zhè ge fàn zuì jí tuán de yuán xiōng zhōng yú bèi shéng zhī yǐ fǎ.The arch-criminal of this criminal gang was finally brought to justice.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.